Video: Super Suit Sprints Into Action

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Video: Super Suit Sprints Into Action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdK2y3lphmELet the battle of the super suits begin. Weeks after Raytheon and Sarcos showed off their exoskeleton to the world, a team out of University of California, Berkeley is demonstrating their own machine that endows the wearer with beyond-human strength.

Human Universal Load Carrier (that's right, "HULC") is the latest model. It lets the wearer carry 200 pounds on his back, more or less effortlessly. It alleviates stress on the knees and on the back. And it reduces the energy required for someone to walk, the company claims – boosting endurance by five to 12 percent.

Unlike Sarcos' full-body exoskeleon, the HULC just imrpoves leg and back strength. But, from what I've seen, the Sarcos machine operates only with a tether – not very practical. In the video above (of the earlier, ExoHiker model), the burly guy wearing the Berkeley Bionics suit runs and crawls around freely. And he's able to take off the 31-pound exoskeleton in seconds. The company has already shown off the system to the Naval Special Warfare Development Group and the Army's 5th Special Forces Group.